Can i get a "custom" contract for the Phone i want? (Samsung Galaxy S2)

thezeronumber

You've got a point but i'm unfortunately a heavy internet user.

I've got Wi-Fi but it's usually off unless a major device is using it such as the computer. In that instance i would boot up the Desktop while i wait for the Modem to load and use that instead of the Phone for internet tasks, especially if i have a few of them to go through. A couple of times i have used Wi-Fi with my current Phone but that was mainly reserved for downloads; if i want to check something quickly then i'd rely on the connection supplied with the contract plan as i wouldn't need to wait for the Modem to turn on and i can find out what i want within a few seconds (the Modem can take up to 2 minutes to prepare depending on its temperment that day). I will be using the internet just as much outdoors as i would in, probably even more, so having a reliable service and a large amount of data is going to leave me comfy in situations where i am bored, traveling to and from destinations, using a live map/GPS to find something, etc. As mentioned previously watching YouTube videos is a large factor in this and that will chew through data allowances in no time.

I used to be on a 500mb limit myself and regularly used anywhere from 250-400mb. However my Phone is pretty restricted in what it can do, with pages being very streamlined and basic. Something like Facebook is a literal 5-10kb in size and the pages themselves took a while to load as my connection speed has always been a bit iffy with Orange. Having a Smart Phone will mean pages with greater detail, higher definition in images, more loading to be done, etc. YouTube is really glitchy on the W995 and quality in terms of video size was pretty small, so i avoided watching things on it. With the Samsung Galaxy S2 i will be downloading and using Apps, watching a lot more YouTube videos (plus they will be far better quality, so a much higher streaming in data) and generally using things which are going to require a substantially larger allowance.

Even if i had constant Wi-Fi access at home, i think i'd still need a ton of data for when i am outside of the house.

Austinhead

Understand what your saying, but bear in mind that you could keep your modem on all the time and it wouldn't effect anything, then you could always use your wifi when at home. I have a program called "locale" which cost a couple of quid, and, amongst other things, it automatically turns on my wifi when i'm at home and uses that.

thezeronumber

Keeping it on all the time means a constant dribble of electricity being used every minute and my mother is very stubborn (and probably too paranoid) about such things. She is the type of person to complain about dog hairs around the house when we own a dog and scrutinises over every bill and receipt with a sharp-eye. She's just one of those people and leaving it on without a dedicated use is not an option, although i can see where she is coming from as i wouldn't like to leave it on all of the time either. Besides, even if it were powered for hours on end that won't help when i'm outside the house and trying to stream or view high-data content, which is likely where most of the use will be coming from. There are next to no hot-spots near my usual places of interest and plan connection is the only way to go while not at home.

A shame there aren't more internet-focused contracts out there. Always see ones dedicated towards texts and calls but rarely do you find any that give you the data allowance you want without having to pay - what i call - a weighty monthly fee. New(er) Phones don't help things but still, the T-Mobile offer i have been pondering is a bit over £25 a month yet i've still got to pay £100 for the device and i'm stuck with it for 2 years. Also got a reply from them recently when i asked about the speed caps:

"

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, once you've purchased the plan you wish to order, for example the Samsung Galaxy S2, part of the price plan gives you unlimited internet. This has no fair use policy and the speeds are capped at 1024 kb for downloading and 512 kb for uploading. The speed is as almost the same with the HSDPA speed which gives an average speed of 1350 kbit/s. However, this speed is capped with 500 MB fair use policy.

If you wish to place an order, you may visit our website by clicking here or your nearest T-Mobile shop.

Thanks again for your email

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. I hope I was able to answer your query"

Good news about the fair use policy being ignored, nice to have it confirmed. Also good news to see them give an honest answer about the suspected caps on speed, although the actual answer is a bit disappointing as i was hoping they either didn't have one or it would be around the 2mbps mark. Got a bit of thinking to do now.

thezeronumber

E-mailed Three two days ago about a customisable contract (worth an ask) and if they capped speeds for their Mobile Phone internet service. Received a phone call yesterday evening saying they wouldn't cut the texts/call in that contract so saving a few quid off the monthly bill is a no-go, but on the plus side the clerk said they never cap internet speeds and i would always get the best that is available to me.

T-Mobile have admitted to capping speeds of 1mbps on their services. Just need to see from other Three users what their speeds are like before i make a decisions because if i'm going to average 2-3mbps or more with Three than i'd rather pay a little more and go with them (plus i'd be free to tether the device, use internet phone calls, etc, which T-Mobile forbids the use of).

Happy to be making a little progress bit by bit.